Shirazi Avishan Smash
Wild thyme from the hills above Shiraz, honey, lemon and mint on crushed ice.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | ml | oz |
|---|---|---|
| Gin | 50 ml | 1⅔ oz |
| Shirazi thyme and honey syrup · homemade, P41 | 20 ml | ⅔ oz |
| Fresh lemon juice · homemade, J01 | 20 ml | ⅔ oz |
| Lemon wedges, muddled | 3 wedges | |
| Fresh mint leaves | 4 leaves |
Ounces are rounded; measure in ml for accuracy. Homemade items link to their own page.
rocks glass
crushed ice
a sprig of thyme and a lemon wheel
The story
Avishan-e Shirazi grows wild on the dry hills of Fars and the southern Zagros, and every bazaar in the south sells it dried in paper bags: sharper and more peppery than garden thyme, sprinkled on yogurt, on soup, on bread with cheese, brewed for a cough. Shepherds and picnickers gather it in May. The smash is the oldest herb drink in the bar book, and the simplest: spirit, herb, lemon, sugar, crushed ice. Here the sugar is honey and the herb is the one the hills smell of.
Method
- Muddle the lemon wedges gently in a shaker with the thyme-honey syrup.
- Add the gin, lemon juice and mint. Shake hard with ice.
- Strain over crushed ice in a rocks glass.
- Cap with more crushed ice.
- Garnish with a thyme sprig and a lemon wheel.
How it tastes
Bright and green: lemon and thyme together, honey rounding the edges, mint cooling the finish, gin’s juniper underneath. Easy to drink two.
Persian taste: torsh (sour), fresh, aromatic
Pair it with
- Food: Grilled chicken with sumac, or a plate of mast-o-khiar with dried mint.
- Sweet: Masghati, the Shirazi rose-and-cardamom jelly sweet.
- Snack: Panir-o-sabzi with dried avishan
Variations
Bourbon
Bourbon instead of gin for a warmer, more classic smash.
Long
Top with soda in a highball for a thyme lemonade.
Garden thyme
If Shirazi thyme is not to be found, garden thyme and a pinch of oregano come close.
Balancing tips
- Muddle, do not pulverise; bitter pith ruins it.
- Crushed ice melts fast: build and serve.
- Honey syrup varies; taste the syrup before deciding on 15 or 20 ml.
Allergens
- Honey
- Contains alcohol. Please drink responsibly.
Development notes
- Status: original recipe draft v0.1, not yet taste-tested.
- Test thyme-honey at 15 and 20 ml; test with 2 versus 3 lemon wedges.
- Sources: Zataria multiflora as avishan-e Shirazi; bazaar and household uses in Fars.
Watch it mixed
Follow along
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Fars hills and the southern Zagros, imagined
